Namibia – Etosha & Cheetah Parks, and Desert Camping

We heart Namibia! Our last country before heading down to South Africa, this country is geologically beautiful and diverse, the people are incredibly friendly and for once, a trace of European efficiency wherever we go. Namibia was colonized by the Germans and they still have a strong presence throughout the country. Our second night we stayed at Etosha National Park which was our last game park in the trip. We saw loads of animals, more notably we almost saw a game kill – the game being the zebra and the predator the mighty lion. Too bad the lion tends to stalk its prey for quite some time prior to the kill or else we would’ve seen it before the park closed. After Etosha, we spent the night at a Cheetah Park, where we saw domesticated Cheetahs. Did you know they’re the largest cat that purrs? They’re also fans of Chad’s shoes. We bush-camped in the desert one night, miles and miles away from civilization. Sleeping beside the sand dunes, underneath the starry sky and waking up to view the sunset from the desert was a highlight for us. The following night we slept at Spitzkoppe Park, home to massive rock formations which Chad and I hiked.  That evening Chad and I, along with 17 others from our group, drove ten kilometers in the back of a pick-up truck to a small bar to watch the England vs. USA match.  Chad and I being the only Americans among England fans was a bit challenging but we were happy that we didn’t lose the match.  Moreover, Chad and I were happy to see the utterly disappointed faces of our counterparts for they had not expected anything but a victory.  Once again USA triumphs…a draw’s a win for us ;-)

Sure glad we bought all of these Tanzanian Masaa’i blankets for souvenirs! You’ll be happy to know we’ve warmed them up for you!

Lioness’ on the prowl…

…or just being lazy and basking in the sun

Leaping Zebra

Leaping Xi…Etosha National Park

Check out those claws!

So whilst everyone was paying attention the Cheetahs, a giraffe invaded our truck

Notice Xi’s hand is not touching the Cheetah…

Namibia or Arizona? Okay, the dirt road gives it away

Skeleton Coast

Fur Seal colony…home to approximately 100,000 seals, and this baby

Chad’s favorite seal photo…the seal galloping to the water

Rock climbing at Spitzkoppe

The three moe’s – Chad, Danny, and Malcolm

The top of the rocks…or as close as we got

Botswana

Chad and I came to the consensus that “meh” best describes our Botswana experience. The people are not as friendly, no banks for us to draw money (thanks Master Card), and accommodations were less than stellar. Our two highlights were Chobe National Park where we embarked on a sunset cruise and encountered all sorts of animals to include the elusive Leopard and a flight over the Okavango Delta!

Our five seater plane taking us over the Okavango Delta

3,000 year old bushmen drawings at Tsodio Hills (Mountain of God)

Zimbabwe

After departing Lake Malawi we spent a couple of nights in the capital, Lilongwe.  It was a good stopover because I had only one page left in my passport.  A day spent going between the US embassy and the Mozambique embassy and I had 23 new pages and a visa for our two day pass through of Mozambique.  We camped on the side of the road in Mozambique, about 50km from the Zimbabwe border.  An early rise the next day and we we’re off for the border crossing into Zimbabwe and to our destination the capital city of Harare.  Here we stayed for two nights at the Larbon Bird Park about 30km outside the city center.  The property is situated on Lake Chivero and is home to a bird sanctuary and lion breeding center.  The owners managed to keep their property during Mugabe’s property redistribution act (a period where farms were redistributed from the white owners to the black Zimbabweans who supported Mugabe) by bringing the lions with them to the front gate when the “war veterans” showed up to claim “their” land.  Xi and I took a trip into Harare on Sunday to see the city center.  Our method of travel into the city was a “matatu” (a fifteen passenger minivan that transported us and 25 other passengers).  The Zimbabwean people were incredibly friendly and hospitable to us which is pretty remarkable given the white-black tension of the last few decades. On the way in my “seat” was in between one mans legs with my face in another mans armpit.  Xi was fortunate by having a seat on a scalding modified fuel tank.  On the way back she got the front seat with two others – luxury.  Time seems to have passed Harare undisturbed as evident by a sign still pointing the direction to the Yugoslavia Embassy.  The next day we drove half a day to our camp site at Antelope Park – a massive commercial lion breading program.  It was by far the nicest campsite we’ve stayed at.  The organization is funded by “volunteers” who pay $3,000 a month to be there.  While there we went to a lion feedings and did a carriage ride. The carriage ride was a good way to see the animals without scaring them – they don’t seem to mind the mules pulling the carriage.  The lion feeding was a most exhilarating yet utterly terrifying experience.  To be within several feet of starving lions fighting for food on the other side of a whimsy fence was incredible; those lions are massive up close and really, really intimidating!  We then went to see the Great Zimbabwe Ruins on our way to Bulawayo.  The ruins are remnant from the Shona who lived there from around 1200-1600AD.  The Great Enclosure there is the third largest man made object after the Pyramids and the Great Wall.  In Bulawayo we’re staying at a random woman’s estate.  Here we’re just relaxing, as evident by how much we have written.